A meeting on the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Protection Plan will be held the evening of July 12 at the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority's River Annex, which is located at 905 Nolan St. in Seguin. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo)

SEGUIN — The Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board will hold a meeting July 12 on the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Protection Plan Project.

The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority’s River Annex, 905 Nolan St. in Seguin.

Sign-in and refreshments will begin at 5:30 p.m., and proceedings will start at 6 p.m.

“The partnership has held many informational meetings to facilitate public involvement in developing a water quality protection plan for these watersheds,” said Ward Ling, AgriLife Extension program specialist. “The public’s participation is essential to ensure the success of this important project.”

Ling said information and data from this and previous meetings will be used toward developing a “comprehensive, sustainable voluntary and locally driven watershed protection plan.”

He said an urban biologist from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will be presenting information on feeding wildlife in an urban environment AgriLife Extension staff will present estimates of increases in bacteria and storm water runoff as a result of continued urban development in the project area.

Sections of the draft watershed protection plan and the July 12 meeting agenda can be found at http://geronimocreek.org, as can information from previous meetings.

Geronimo Creek and its tributary, Alligator Creek, which flow through Comal and Guadalupe counties, were identified for watershed protection plan development due to concerns about high levels of nitrogen and elevated levels of bacteria, as reported in the Texas Water Quality Inventory published by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

“As development and population growth in the region surrounding Geronimo and Alligator creeks continues, and urban land use increases, the need for improved water quality is also increasing,” said Debbie Magin, director of water quality services at the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority.

A Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant was provided to the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to facilitate the development of this watershed protection plan.

Other key area partners supporting watershed protection efforts include Comal and Guadalupe counties, the cities of Seguin and New Braunfels, New Braunfels Utilities and the Comal-Guadalupe Soil and Water Conservation District.